44 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 22, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
7 Train Coalition formed to help keep Queens neighborhoods aff ordable for all
BY ALLYSON ESCOBAR
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Over 60 community members, leaders
and organizers packed the Immigrant
Movement International center in Corona
on Sunday, March 18, for the offi cial launch
of the 7 Train Coalition.
Collectively formed to fi ght gentrifi cation
and housing privatization and end displacement
in neighborhoods along the 7
line (Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside,
Woodside, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights,
Corona and downtown Flushing), the coalition
is made up of Queens-based grassroots
organizations including the Queens
Anti-Gentrifi cation Project, Anakbayan
New York, Migrante New York and the
Coalition to Defend Corona.
“Th e idea is to build a bottom-up vision
and plan for the community, to come up
with our own — not big businesses’ or
nonprofi ts’ — ideas of how to improve the
neighborhood,” said Mike Legaspi, one of
the event organizers. “While it’s true there
are a lot of things to fi x, we as a coalition
believe that this development needs to be
community-controlled, not corporate-controlled.”
Th e 7 Train Line Coalition will launch
sub-committees based on community district
to establish neighborhood development
plans, straight from the people who
live there.
“A few months ago, members of these
groups got together with the purpose of
building solidarity, improving communication
between neighborhoods, and help each
other out. When the city looks at the 7 line,
they look at it in terms of development,”
said Michael Forest, 34, a Woodside resident
from the Queens Anti-Gentrifi cation
Project. “We already see it happening in
Long Island City and Flushing; now they’re
sort of fi lling in the middle. Th e city planning
process favors developers. Th ey start
with rezoning to make money, then land
value increases, everyone’s rent goes up,
and people get priced out.”
Forest added that the coalition’s goal is
not to be nonprofi t- or politician-led, but
steered by immigrant communities and
working class folks.
“With the diff erent structures for community
boards in place and the city’s
bureaucratic process in terms of development,
as communities that are united, we
can and should be in power to make our
own plans,” said Chrissi Fabro, 26, from
Anakbayan, NY.
With recruitment a fi rst priority, the coalition
hopes to get public input through
community surveys and assemblies, mapping
meetings and on-the-ground investigation.
Its last step is presenting well-structured
plans, set forth by citizens, to the
community board and Queens Borough
Hall.
Organizers said that while the
Department of City Planning and major
nonprofi ts do send out surveys and plans
claiming to support the community, many
oft en end up selling out to larger corporations
instead of listening to their needs.
“Th e city is working on many ways to
develop and preserve much-needed aff ordable
housing, expand economic development
opportunities and grow good jobs,
and help New Yorkers thrive in the communities
they love,” said John Young,
director of the Queens Offi ce at the DCP,
in a statement. “We welcome dialogues
with residents and other stakeholders on
strategies that can achieve these objectives
and nurture vibrant neighborhoods.”
At the launch, lively discussion and
breakout sessions, divided by community
board, allowed the attendees to express
their concerns — from rezoning and
increasing rent, to homelessness and police
activity along the 7.
Elizabeth Hodges, an urban studies student
at Hunter College who recently moved
from Flushing to Astoria, is also afraid of L
train displacement.
“People are going to be rushing into
Queens because the 7 train is a reliable
source of transportation,” said Hodges, 21.
“We need this coalition now, to fi ght displacement
of communities who have been
here. It’s great how proactive they have
been starting now, as opposed to when
everything happens.”
Attendees also discussed a broad vision
for their community, and how they see
community-based planning as a way to
provide concrete solutions. Members also
hope to bring in various skills, ideas and
experience to the coalition.
Victor Rodriguez, a realtor with
American Dream Real Estate, cited the
presence of big developers like LeFrak City
in Elmhurst and Corona. He said that he
was bothered by families being priced out
of their homes, and always looking like “the
bad guy.”
Another real estate agent, Rafael Jose,
suggested a rental addendum to housing
leases, which would state that landlords
and developers — both under enormous
pressure from private institutions — must
maintain aff ordability for tenants, and
avoid selling out to corporations.
“Part of the role of a coalition as a whole
is dealing with the future of rising developments,”
said Dan Raymond, 32, from the
Queens Anti-Gentrifi cation Project. “What
we can do as a united coalition is advocate
for a policy at the citywide level — you have
to have a lot of people to enact any kind of
real change.”
Little Neck kids take fi rst place prize in city robotics competition
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Aft er competing against over 60 of the
best teams from the fi ve boroughs, a team
of bright Little Neck kids brought home
a top prize.
On March 11, P.S. 94’s RoboPandas
competed at the New York City First Lego
League Robotics Championship and took
home the fi rst place “Teamwork Award,”
which recognizes a group “that is able
to accomplish more together than they
could as individuals through shared goals,
strong communication, eff ective problem
solving and excellent time management,”
according to the league website.
Team members Kellen Yu, Andre Wang,
Lily Lu, Ava Jack, Anthony Arias, Silvia Jun,
Nolan Reinhardt and Eric Leem worked for
months in preparation. At the championship,
the group of fi ft h-grade students vied
for a top prize against teams who were one,
two and even three years older.
Th e team was able to secure the
Teamwork Award by best adopting
the league’s core values, which include
respect, inclusion and gracious professionalism.
“We managed to get all ‘exemplary’
scores on our core values,” Eric Leem told
QNS. “Research and robotics were great
too … But we’re still proud of what we got.
It didn’t matter about us winning; it just
mattered what we did and the experience.”
“Winning an award — never mind fi rst
place — out of 64 teams was a bit surprising;
but nonetheless, it was very exciting,”
Lily Lu added.
Since the beginning of the school year,
students worked together on a research
project and robot design, all while learning
to work together as a team. Team
members found that, as their team found
success, they also saw their individual
grades improve.
“Th is has really helped me with my science
and my imagination,” Silvia Jun said.
“During the project, we had to think of all
sorts of unique ideas. And I think if I were
to every become a scientist — which I have
a high chance of doing — these skills would
be very important and useful to me.”
Team member Ava Jack said the experience
has opened her up to making new
friends.
“When I was in third grade, I wasn’t
mostly interested in making friends; I was
mostly interested in doing school work,”
she said. “But then, when I got into Lego
League, I started seeing myself improve.
When I fi rst got here, I was more likely
on the side instead of in the conversation.
But as I began to grow, I began to make
more friends along the way.”
Th e students have come a long way
since the beginning of the school year,
coach and teacher Ellie Glus said.
“Recently, one of them said to me, ‘I
want to change the world,’” she said. “I
almost cried.”
Following their big win, Councilman
Paul Vallone presented each team member
with a City Council citation and proclamation.
Th e team earned their “golden ticket” to
advance to the citywide championship at
a qualifi er on Feb. 3. Students spoke with
QNS about their research project and
robot design prior to the competition.
Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
P.S. 94’s RoboPandas
Photos by Allyson Escobar
Mike Legaspi, from Migrante NY, answers audience Q&A at the 7 Train Coalition launch.
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